Geneva council rejects request to demolish historic blacksmith shop
The Geneva City Council voted Tuesday to preserve the historic blacksmith shop at 4 E. State St., rejecting its owner's request to tear down the deteriorating 1840s limestone structure.
The Shodeen Family Foundation owns the building, which sits on the former Mill Race Inn property, a 1.4- acre site at the southwest corner of routes 38 and 25.
The owners have argued that the building is beyond saving and has no value, but the city's Historic Preservation Commission recommended against its demolition, saying the site has historical and cultural significance.
Shodeen representative David Patzelt did not comment on the council's 9-0 vote Tuesday. As to the future of the property, he said, "There are no plans. That's it. There are no plans."
Several city residents thanked the council for its vote, including Erica and Lee Eysturlid.
"I actually live across the street from all of this," Lee Eysturlid said. "I just want to say thank you for all the citizens of our side - the east side often feels left out. Now we don't. I think you made the right decision."
Before the vote, Shodeen attorney Kate McCracken urged the council to support demolition, saying the owners have exhausted all feasible alternatives.
"This structure needs to be demolished," McCracken said. "It is a structure that is no longer in existence. It is a function of rock and stone that is disintegrating - and it is not disintegrating as a result of anything the ... owner has done."
She also disputed labeling the building a blacksmith shop, noting it hadn't been used for that purpose since 1860.
Historic Preservation Commissioner Jewel Jensen spoke in favor of the structure's preservation.
"These early buildings are tied to the community's earliest settlement and are a rare resource in the Geneva community," Jensen said. "The unassuming, modest limestone building is the earliest surviving example of the water-powered industries that once lined the Fox River.
"It also has a cultural significance as a symbol of some of our first immigrants - the Swedish immigrants," Jensen added.
Jensen blamed the owners for the structure's unsightly appearance, saying they did little to maintain or preserve it since 2016.